Summary The intertidal mudflats of Buckingham Bay support significant numbers of Eastern Curlew, and >20,000 mixed waterbirds. The coastal floodplains also support large numbers of waterbirds including more than 1% of the world's nesting Pied Herons.

Site description The IBA consists of the entire coastline of Buckingham Bay (which supports significant numbers of waders; Chatto 2003) and the seasonally inundated floodplain located immediately behind the bay (which supports significant numbers of waterbirds; Chatto 2006). The coastal habitat captured by the IBA consists of mud and salt flats with pockets of mangrove around Buckingham River (Harrison et al. 2009).

Key Biodiversity The intertidal mudflats of Buckingham Bay have supported up to 6000 near threatened Black-tailed Godwit (Chatto 2006). A waterbird nesting colony in the south-west corner of Buckingham Bay had about 2250 Intermediate Egrets, 450 Little Egrets, 240 Great Egrets, 60 Cattle Egrets, 2000 Pied Herons and 500 Rufous Night-Herons in March 1999 (Chatto 2000; waterbird breeding colony ref W040). The largest count of waders was 31,000 in February 1983 (Garnett 1983) and Chatto (2003) recorded 19,000 in January 1996 and 15,000 in March 1992 and April 1994, but Garnett (1987) estimates the average summer count as a little over 20,000.

Non-bird biodiversity: Buckingham Bay and associated coastal floodplains support seven plant species which are endemic to the Northern Territory (Harrison et al. 2009).

Land use

References Chatto, R. (2000) Waterbird breeding colonies in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 69, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston.

Chatto, R. (2003) The distribution and status of shorebirds around the coast and coastal wetlands of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 73, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston.

Chatto, R. (2006) The distribution and status of waterbirds around the coast and coastal wetlands of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 76, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston.